Currently, a processing cartridge can be detachably installed in an electronic imaging device. The electronic imaging device is provided with a driving unit to output a rotational driving force. The processing cartridge generally comprises a rotational-force driving assembly, a developing unit, toner, a toner control unit, and a body for containing these units. In addition, based on different types of the processing cartridge structures, the processing cartridge can also include a photosensitive unit, a charging unit, a cleaning unit, and a stirring unit, etc. The rotational-force driving assembly of the processing cartridge is disposed at one side of the processing cartridge along an axial direction of the developing unit, and engages with the driving unit of the electronic imaging device to input the rotational driving force into the processing cartridge, which drives the rotatable units (e.g., the developing unit, the photosensitive unit, the stirring unit) inside the processing cartridge to rotate and to participate the developing process of the electronic imaging device.
Before the electronic imaging device can perform the developing operation (i.e., generally called “printing”), a user needs to install the processing cartridge into the electronic imaging device, the driving assembly of the processing cartridge make contact with the driving unit of the electronic imaging device to engage with each other.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electronic imaging device (not shown) has a driving unit 500, which contacts and engages with the driving assembly 100 located at one end of the processing cartridge C. During installation of the processing cartridge, the driving assembly 100 moves towards the driving unit 500 along the installation direction Y1 (the installation direction Y1 is approximately perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the rotational shaft L3 of the developing unit 10). When moving to a coaxial position with the driving unit 500, the driving pin 510 of the driving unit 500 engages the driving gear 110 of the driving assembly 100 to transfer the rotational driving force to the driving assembly 100, and the driving assembly 100 transfers the driving force to various units of the processing cartridge through a set of gears.
As shown in FIG. 3, before the driving assembly 100 contacts and engages the driving unit 500, when the processing cartridge is installed in the electronic imaging device, because the two ends of the processing cartridge is relatively fixed by the inner wall or guiding rails of the electronic imaging device, the processing cartridge cannot move in the axial direction. Similarly, the driving unit 500 inside the electronic imaging device often only rotates along its own axis and cannot shift. Thus, before the driving assembly 100 contacts and engages the driving unit 500, because there is a height difference H1 between the lowest point of the driving pin 510 and the highest point of the engaging gear 110, there is a possibility that the engaging gear 110 and the driving pin 510 may structurally interfere with each other during the engagement.
To reduce the structural wear or interference, the outer surface of the driving pin 510 or the engaging gear is generally configured as a tilted surface or a smooth and round surface and, at the same time, when the driving assembly 100 contacts the driving unit 500, the engaging gear can retreat along the rotation axis direction of the driving assembly 100 to avoid the structural interference.
Thus, as the drive unit 500 and the power receiving unit 100 is present between the two times of repeated engagement and disengagement of the action, it is easy to cause the electronic imaging device, the structure of the drive unit 500 or the processing cartridge C of the power receiving unit 100 is worn or broken, the drive unit 500 and the power receiving unit 100 is difficult or impossible to stably engage each other and transmit power. In this way, the electronic imaging device or the processing cartridge C and thus cannot continue normal use, the subsequent development quality is also affected to a different degree.
The disclosed processing cartridges and methods are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.